Saying the president was “grasping at straws,” a federal judge on Saturday threw out Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that the president did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice as required by law. The ruling said the lawsuit had attempted to “manufacture” flaws in the Journal’s investigative reporting.
When a case is thrown out “with prejudice,” it cannot be refiled again and the dismissal is permanent and incontrovertible.
He really likes suing for 10 billion dollars.
It’s the go big or go home approach. Try on the slim chance that you’ll win, then use it as a precedent to go bigger next time.
should’ve let this go to discovery and make him try to prove there’s no connection
He’d have dragged it out saying the documents were tied up in audit, his capacity as president, official secrets, too busy with the midterms, currently involved in litigation, etc. none of which applies btw. But he’s gonna do it anyway.
Here comes the appeal directly to the Supreme Court
Not to be nitpicking, you are correct, but a lawsuit dismissed with prejudice can be appealed to a higher court, it just can’t be refiled in the same trial court.
It would be different if this was a criminal case, because then the protections against double jeopardy generally prevent the prosecution from appealing.
